Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Greg Larsen has been chewed up by life so much that he’s barely got any respect left for himself, let alone the brutal, loaded system that created all this misery within. 

This is his barbarous howl against the toxic capitalism that’s driven him to this dark, sad place, via the dirt tracks of soul-crushing jobs and potholed laneways of personal rejection. And when he’s at his lowest, what does he do but shovel Macca’s triple cheeseburgers down his gullet, just like a good consumer.

Seen through the safety glass of stand-up, the ferocity of his rage is compelling. He uses words like ‘deranged’ and ‘unhinged’ to describe himself (and also ‘not a paedophile’, but that’s a different routine) – and it’s hard to disagree. 

We can laugh vicariously at the torment of his unrewarding toil at call centres and hi-fi stores, driven insane by petty bosses, dumb customers and the sheer bloody pointlessness of it all. He’s mad as hell and isn’t going to take it any more – as the poor sap fruitlessly chasing his debts found out first-hand.

Although Larsen’s relentless outburst is driven by a primal outrage that’s hilarious, it also comes with a smart, opinionated commentary. The stand-up’s torment is to have all the intelligence to see what’s wrong but none of the power to change it. All he can do is shout at the sky – or to paying comedy-goers.

His wisdom extends, too, to matters of sexuality and to faith. He doesn’t trust atheists with their certainty that’s as sanctimoniously pious as any medieval priest, nor those so sure of their identity. And as with the other strands, this is illustrated with revealing first-hand experience, regaled raw and unsentimental.

The anecdotes are told sharply and with a savage self-deprecation that intertwines with the outward-facing abuse to powerfully funny effect. His passion ebbs occasionally, but the routines remain a compelling and heartfelt dispatch from the working-class front line.

• Greg Larsen: We All Have Bloody Thoughts is at Comedy Republic at 9.30pm (8.30pm Sundays) until April 24. Extra show at 6.30pm tonight at The Westin.

Review date: 17 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival